Tag Archives: Sony

A question that I see being asked a lot is – Should I buy a Sony camera (or camera lens) from SSE Photo & Video?

There isn’t a ton of information on the internet about individual 3rd party sellers on Amazon, so let’s start here:

First of all, let’s make sure you’ve looked through their current promotions and sale items. Sometimes items are listed separately as part of limited-time promotions. Currently, they do have a Save 20% off with purchase of another qualifying item promotion.

So should you purchase a camera or other Sony product from SSE Photo & Video instead of other websites, or sellers on Amazon?

Authorized Dealer

The first thing to ask when buying any sort of Sony product – whether online, or in a physical store – should be: Is this seller an authorized Sony dealer?

As far as SSE Photo & Video is considered, the answer is yes.

They are listed as Power Photo Corp. (probably the parent company).

Buying from an authorized dealer is as important as getting a good price. If you don’t purchase from an authorized dealer, you won’t be entitled to the manufacturer warranty – even if the seller claims that you are.

Price and Shipping

There are a lot of online store selling Sony cameras. Their prices are usually higher compared to Amazon, where shipping is almost always free too.

Let’s look at an example:

On other electronics websites, you can purchase the pieces of this Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS Lens (Silver) 10PC Accessory Bundle for around $350. Depending on which site you purchase from, and where you live, you can probably add another $15 or so on top of that for shipping – at least!

Pricing aside, you are still saving $15 or more on the shipping alone – not to mention the overall package of accessories included.

I showed one price example. You might be looking for a different model from Sony. If so, it’s really easy to find the best deal on Amazon. Just use the Amazon Discount Finder tool that appears at the top of this page (for desktop users). It looks something like this:

After you choose your desired country, click on the All Categories section, and in this case, choose Photo or Electronics, like this:

Then just type in Sony, and the model or type that you are looking for. You can choose your desired discount level if you wish to, but it’s not necessary. Then click on Search Discount. It should then bring up all of the models available, and at the top of the list will be those with the highest discount currently available on Amazon.

On a related side note, many online merchants also sell on Amazon. You’d be surprised by the amount of sellers/websites that sell their products for less on Amazon. With all the competition on Amazon, stores have to offer up their best price, in order to get the sale. They don’t have to be so generous on their own site, since you only see their price. Often times, a discount code will bring the cost down to the Amazon price.

Feedback

Feedback is an important thing on Amazon. It’s not a highlighted feature like it is on eBay, but it determines a seller’s success on Amazon behind the scenes. To have a successful store, a seller needs to maintain a high level of feedback history. Since most of us have never heard of some of the 3rd Party Sellers on Amazon, it’s easy to be skeptical. So take advantage of the fact that Amazon shows their feedback score.

As far as SSE Photo & Video is considered, they have a earned over 30,000 positive feedback ratings, with a current 97% overall score.

If an item even SLIGHTLY looks like it might be a counterfeit or knock-off, customers on Amazon will leave bad feedback. Any and all flaws will usually be reflected in a seller’s feedback as well.

Given their strong feedback history, SSE Photo & Video is definitely a well reputed seller on Amazon.

If you purchase from a random website, the return/exchange guarantee period is always variable. Sometimes its 7-days, sometimes 14-days, etc. And they usually come with certain restrictions and limitations.

On Amazon, you get the A-to-z Guarantee when purchasing from a 3rd party seller, regardless of their return policy. You are entitled to a 30 day period – from the date you receive the item – to file your claim. It really does take the risk out of purchasing online, and makes you feel secure with your purchase. If you ever have any issues with your order, Amazon’s 24/7 customer service is there to help you.

If you have ever had to file a claim with your credit card company, or waited months for a refund on a return, you will appreciate Amazon’s A-to-z Guarantee.

Product Availability

Amazon is the largest retailer on the planet. No matter what brand or product you are looking for, chances are they will have it, and offer a number of options as well.

Let’s face it – we all use Amazon. We’re familiar with the site, how to use it, how to check out – everything is where it should be, and everything works every time. It’s comfortable. And it’s fast!

On other websites, that’s not exactly the case. If you want to sort by brand, and then by price, it doesn’t work sometimes it doesn’t work as smoothly as you’d like. You’re left sorting through a bunch of results. Different brands, different categories, etc.

And if you try searching for a specific product, sometimes they load, other times they don’t. You’re left wanting much more functionality than they are able to deliver.

Amazon Authority

3rd party sellers who sell on Amazon, want to remain in good standing with Amazon. As a seller, you have to meet very strict selling guidelines. You have to maintain a minimum performance rate in order to keep selling on Amazon. On top of that, you also want to receive positive feedback for all transactions.

In other words, you have to ship by the guaranteed ship by date, you have to deliver the item as described, and you have to process timely refunds (if they are initiated). You can’t take any liberties that you might on your own website.

You are pretty much guaranteed a consistently positive purchase every time you order something on Amazon. You can’t say the same about other websites or merchants.

Final Thoughts

We all want to find the best price available. For something on the expensive side, like a Sony Mirrorless Digital Camera, it pays to shop around. Check the Amazon Discount Finder tool above to find the best deals, and to find out what is currently on sale.

Normally, you have to click a few options to find what is currently discounted. And it’s not such an easy option to locate. The discount finder tool does all the hard work for you.

A note about Sony cameras:

The quality of Sony optics are second to none. There is a reason why Samsung phones have Sony lenses – they work…extremely well! Sony cameras get a bit lost in the Canon vs Nikon debate, but the truth is, you can’t go wrong with a Sony camera. The overall system is a bit different than why you might be used to with Canon or Nikon, but the end result will be just as spectacular.